The Secret of Mallory House
by JanEyrEvanescence12
Summary: Little Else is excited for Halloween, except for the part with trick o' treating with the Scanlons' adopted son Frankie Parker. She wants to get back at him for all his mean pranks on her. So when he dares her to explore the crumbling ruins of the Mallory House, Else jumps at the chance to scare him…and lands into her own spooky adventure. Companion story to The Hornet's Girl.
1. Spooky Storytime

The Secret of Mallory House

**A/N:** My usual disclaimers: all copyrights go to those who rightfully own them.

This has some major spoilers to my other story _The Hornet's Girl_. So you might want to read that first if you haven't in order to get what's going on. I loved the character of Else Krieger so I thought she deserved a couple of adventures of her own. This is based off a scene I had written for _The Hornet's Girl_ but had to delete on account of pacing. To clarify, this is set after the events of _The Hornet's Girl_. This story begins on October 30th, 1932 and ends on Halloween of the same year.

So enjoy and destroy.

* * *

Spooky Storytime

"There." Britt Reid said, putting down his switchblade. He turned his scary creation to Else Reid. "What do you think, Ells?"

The jack o' lantern was definitely spooky. The eyes were wide circles, the nose a square and the toothy grin looked ready to say "Boo!"

"It's so scary, Britt!" Else said, clapping her hands. "Hey Jack! Look what Britt made!"

"What do you think, honey?" Britt asked. Both he and Else were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hmm?" Jack Reid looked over from the pot of hot caramel she was cooking on the stove. "Nice. Nice. Very nice." She went back to stirring.

"That's it?" Britt asked, jokingly upset. "Else and I have been working hard on this jack o' lantern all afternoon and all you can say is 'very nice'?"

"Hey, I'm trying to make caramel apples for tomorrow. If I don't pay attention to it, it could burn." Jack explained without looking up. "Now clean and dry those seeds if you want me to bake them."

"Yech!" Else gagged as Britt picked up the pink bowl full of seeds and pumpkin guts and took it to the kitchen sink. It looked so gross, like something Frankie Parker would chase her with. She did _not_ like him; he played pranks on her and teased her. How can two people as nice as Uncle Frank and Aunt Ethel adopt such meanie like him? And to make it worse, she was going trick o' treating with him tomorrow. At least Britt was going with her. He'd keep him from pulling any mean pranks on her.

"Wait until you try them, Ells. So nice and salty." Britt said. But instead of washing the seeds as Jack asked, he walked back to the table. He held a finger to his lips to Else before picking up the jack o' lantern. Quietly, he snuck up on Jack. She was so busy dipping apples into the hot gooey stuff that she didn't notice. Else fought back the giggles as Britt put the jack o' lantern over his head like a mask and moving as if he was going to kiss her from as he often did while she was cooking.

"Britt, how many times do I have to tell you?" Jack said with a smile as she put another apple down on a tray lined with wax paper. "You're going to have to wait until after dinner for caramel apples." She didn't react. Britt moved the pumpkin closer to her face. "Britt, what are you doing?" She turned and looked right at the jack o' lantern. "Whoa God!" She yelled, nearly falling backwards. Britt caught her before she could fall over.

Britt and Else laughed. The look on Jack's face was so funny. Jack, on the other hand, didn't look so amused.

"Britt! Why in the world did you do that?! I could've gotten hot caramel on you!" Jack said, holding her hand to her heart.

"Aw come on now!" Britt said, taking the jack o' lantern off his head. "You're smiling."

It was true; Jack was fighting to keep the wide smile on her face. "That's only because you and Else are cackling like a pair of hyenas." She finally began laughing. "I can't stay mad at you two forever. Why in the world did I marry you?"

"Because I'm irresistible." Britt said, finally kissing Jack. Else made a face. She thought kissing was gross.

"Is everything ok?" Britt's valet, Kato, asked as he came into the kitchen. He wore his nice white jacket and wide black bowtie. "I heard you screaming Ms. Jack."

"Britt scared Jack with the jack o' lantern! It was so funny!" Else laughed.

"Kato, if you're looking for a new training dummy; you have my full permission to use Britt." Jack said, smirking. "High time somebody knocked sense into him."

"I'll remember that." Kato smiled, finally moving over. "Mr. Scanlon is here to see you, Mr. Britt."

"Hi Uncle Frank!" Else ran up to Uncle Frank, giving him a big hug.

"Hey sport!" Uncle Frank returned her hug. "Are you excited to go trick o' treating tomorrow?"

"Yes! I'm going as the Swan Queen! Jack helped me make my costume! It's so pretty!"

"I bet." Uncle Frank said with a smile.

"But I'm not looking forward to trick o' treating with that meanie Frankie Parker." Else frowned.

"Else, how many times do you have to tell you to be nice to Frankie Parker?" Jack gently scolded.

Else got upset. "Someone should tell him to be nice to me! Do you know what he did to me at Friday during school? He dared me to feel something inside a box. It was cold, sticky and gross! He told me it was monster brains! And he laughed when I cried!"

"Oh did he?" Uncle Frank asked sympathetically. But there was a sparkle in his eye. "And just how did he get a monster to give up its brains?" Else giggled, the thought of Frankie asking to get brains from a monster was a pretty funny image.

"Cold spaghetti." Britt explained. "How can I help you today, Frank?"

"I have something for the paper. About the fugitive jewel thief Jed Cooper." Uncle Frank looked at Britt.

"Would you like to join us for supper?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, but I don't have much time. Thank you for the offer though." Uncle Frank apologized before returning to Else. "It was great to see you, honey. I can't wait to see your costume tomorrow. And don't worry; I'll talk to Frankie about being nice to you."

"Thank you, Uncle Frank." Else said with a smile. Uncle Frank and Britt followed Kato, no doubt to Britt's study. That was one of the rules, when Uncle Frank was over, no going into the study.

"Honey, can you please help me prepare the table for supper?" Jack asked, finally finishing with the caramel apples and turning off the stove. She was calm instead of her usual cheerfulness. Uh oh, she was upset, Else realized as she helped get the chunks of carved pumpkin off the table and into the garbage. "Else, I know you don't like Frankie Parker, but he hasn't had an easy time since his dad died back in July. If Uncle Frank and Aunt Ethel hadn't adopted him, he would've gone to the orphanage where nobody would've loved him. Remember how difficult it was after your Papa died? That's what he's going through right now."

"But I have you and Britt!" Else protested. "That made it so much easier!"

"I know, but Frankie isn't as close to Uncle Frank and Aunt Ethel as Britt and I are to you. Personally, I think it's because he's jealous that we have a close relationship."

"It doesn't excuse it! He pulls so many nasty pranks on me! He pulls on my pigtails, steals the desserts from my lunchbox, and he calls me a 'crybaby'!" Else frowned as she put the silverware down on the table.

Jack took the hot potato casserole out of the oven and onto a cold burner of the stove. "I'm not asking you to be friends. I'm just asking for you to be nice and not call him names. He'll grow out of it eventually. And Uncle Frank will talk to him about being nice to you when he gets home tonight. Please sweetie? For me? Or else you're not getting caramel apples and hot chocolate tomorrow night."

"Ok. But I'm not looking forward to trick o' treating with him tomorrow." Else mumbled as she put the plates on the table.

"Thank you, sweetie." Jack said with a smile. "And don't worry. Britt and Aunt Ethel will keep Frankie in line tomorrow."

* * *

Uncle Frank ended staying for dinner after all. He laughed so hard when Else told him the story of how Britt scared Jack with the jack o' lantern. He also smiled when she showed the white ballerina costume and feather crown she and Jack had worked on together.

Things were going well until it was time for bed. As he always did, Britt came into her room to help her get ready for bed and to tell her a bedtime story. "Hey Ells, I've got some bad news. I have to work late at the paper tomorrow night. So I won't be able to take you trick o' treating."

Else frowned, unhappy as she changed into her pajamas. "So does this mean I have to stay home?"

"Nope, not at all. Jack will take you instead and we'll still meet up at home for hot chocolate and caramel apples afterwards. I'm sorry honey." Else felt a little better, but she felt bad that Britt wasn't going trick o' treating with her. Now who would stand up for her when mean old Frankie Parker pulled his pranks on her? Britt appeared thoughtful while he tucked her into bed. "Tell you what, how about a super spooky bedtime story tonight to make up for it?"

Else smiled. "Yeah!" She loved spooky bedtime stories. Appropriate too, considering that tomorrow was Halloween. Britt was such a good storyteller and it always felt good to snuggle next to Britt during the scary parts. How strange, to be scared and yet know you're completely safe…

"Ok, the bedtime story is called 'The Secret of the Mallory Home.' There once was a big spooky house at the end of a long street. It had belonged to a man named Mallory, and for many years, it was called the Mallory Home. There was a rumor that Old Man Mallory had buried a pile of jewelry underneath the floorboards and that his ghost still walks through the house, guarding his treasure. On some nights, a light burns in an upper window and one can hear the sound of his peg leg scraping across the floorboards as he limped through the house."

Else snuggled close to Britt. She could tell from the twinkle in his green eyes that he was reaching the best part. "One night, a man got greedy and decided to see if the legend was true. He broke into the house, determined to look for the jewelry. There was a light was burning in the upper window but he ignored it, thinking it to be his mind was playing a trick on him."

"But it wasn't, was it?" Else asked.

"You'll see. The house was old. It creaked and groaned and it smelled dusty and dank. Nobody had lived in it for a very long time. A wind rustled through the eaves, sounding like an eerie whistle. The thief considered himself a brave man so he ignored the sounds as he searched through the house. He searched downstairs, finding nothing. So he decided to try the upstairs. Finally, he came to the room where the light was burning. Of course it turned out to be a candle, flickering in the creepy wind. But who had lit it? For the first time, he got nervous. 'Maybe somebody left it while they were searching for the treasure,' He told himself and began hitting the floorboards with his foot. Then he heard it."

"Heard what, Britt?" Else whispered.

"Tap-tap-tap-tap. Like this," he tapped his foot against the floorboards. The resulting sound was eerie. "It was coming up the stairs. Tap-tap-tap-tap." Britt did it again. "The thief got nervous. What in the world could make that sound?" Else held her breath. "It must've been an animal, he told himself. That's right, an animal that must've gotten into the house. He continued looking. Then he heard it again. Tap-tap-tap-tap. This time it was coming down the hall. It had to be an animal, the thief tried telling himself. But he wasn't so sure. Then he found it."

"Did he find it? Did he find the treasure?" Else hopped up.

"Settle down or else I'm never going to finish the story." Britt said firmly. Else did as he said. "He found a secret compartment beneath the floorboards. Inside was a rusted box. He was so excited; he had finally found the treasure at last! Then the sound came again. Tap-tap-tap-tap. It was inside the room now, coming up behind him. The thief was so scared. He knew that was no animal making the sound. But his greedy fingers wanted that treasure so badly! He finally got the box open! Inside were strands of pearls, large sapphires and glittering diamonds! The thief was so happy! He was finally rich! Then he heard a whisper in his ear."

Else leaned closer. "'You thief.'" Britt whispered. "The voice was harsh and cold. Then it said something else…"

"GET OUT!" There was a loud growl from the doorway to Else's room. It was the ghost! Else yelped, clinging to Britt as he almost fell of her bed. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Jack was laughing from the doorway…she was the one who scared them! "What are you trying to do, Britt, give her nightmares tonight?"

"At this rate, I think _you're_ more likely to give her nightmares!" Britt said, holding a hand to his chest. But he was laughing along with Jack and Else. "And for that matter, what are _you_ trying to do, give me a heart attack before I turn forty?"

"Well that's what you get for scaring me with that jack o' lantern. But we're even?"

"Yes, we're even." Britt said; an angelic look on his face.

"So how does the story end? Does the ghost get even?" Else asked impatiently.

"Well…that's the strange thing. The thief was never seen or heard from again. The Mallory House still stands and on some nights, there's a light in the window, the sound of the peg leg tapping against the wooden floorboards and the sound of somebody ripping up the floorboards, looking for Old Man Mallory's treasure." Britt said. "Was that spooky enough?"

"It was! Thank you, Britt!" Else hugged Britt.

"Ok, now you know the rules. Bedtime, sport." Britt tucked the blankets around her. Else hugged the ballerina doll Grandpa Dan got her for her birthday.

"Sleep well, honey." Jack kissed Else on the forehead. As Britt and Jack were leaving, they turned off the light and left the door slightly open, leaving the hallway light on. Else was about to snuggle off for the night when she heard low voices coming from Jack and Britt's bedroom across the hall.

Even though she knew she was supposed to stay in bed, Else got up and tiptoed outside, determined to get a closer listen.

"Seriously Britt, what were you thinking in telling her that story? Now she's going to want to check that old place out in the West End." Jack said in a low voice. That old place? Else thought as she hid in her special hiding spot behind a potted palm outside Britt and Jack's room. Was it possible the Mallory House was real?

"It was the only thing I could think of. Speaking of that old place, I'm counting on you and Ethel not going anywhere near that place when you two take the kids trick o' treating tomorrow." Britt said. "Rumors are that Cooper made that place his hideout. Mr. Hornet's going to be paying a little visit there."

Mr. Hornet! Else thought of the kind man with the scary mask who saved her from Benny last year. She missed him. Else leaned closer to get a better listen, risking discovery.

There was a pause before Jack began speaking. "In that case, be very careful. I remember Ethel telling me that Cooper's responsible for Officer Parker's murder."

"Hey, always am, remember? Besides, I've got a wife and kid who are waiting for me to come home every night. If that doesn't give me a good reason to be careful, then I don't know what is." Britt said. There was a kissing sound. Else made a face. A hand touched her shoulder gently.

"Oh!" She jumped in surprise. Else looked behind her and saw Kato looking down at her with a gentle smile. "Oh it's you, Kato."

"Hello, Miss Else. What are you doing out of bed?" He asked.

"I heard Jack and Britt talking and wanted to know if there was more to why Britt can't take me trick o' treating tomorrow. Oh please don't tell them I've been up! Jack would get so mad and then I'll never go trick o' treating tomorrow."

Kato put a finger to his lips. "Only if you get right to bed and stay there. Or I'll send a ghost after you." The valet said with a smile. Else scrambled off to bed.

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**A/N:** Next chapter will be up in five minutes


	2. Frankie Parker Makes a Dare

**A/N:** Chapter Two as promised...

* * *

Frankie Parker Makes a Dare

"Aw Else, aren't you so adorable!" Ethel cooed when Jack and Else finally arrived at Shoshanna Scanlon's apartment the next evening.

"Thank you, Auntie Ethel." Else said, standing on her tiptoes and doing a pirouette just as she learned in ballet class. Someday…she could dance as the Swan Queen, just like in the ballet Britt and Jack took her to see for her birthday.

"Very, very pretty!" Shoshanna clapped. "You look like Jack when she used to dance ballet. Did you know that she danced the part of the Swan Queen when she was a senior in high school?"

"Really, Jack?" Else looked up at Jack in awe.

"That was a long time ago Mom." Jack said with a smile. "And it was for senior recital at ballet school."

"But still, you did a magnificent job at it too." Shoshanna gushed. Then she turned to the scrawny twelve year old boy by Ethel's side. "And Frankie, you look very nice too!"

Frankie smiled in his pirate costume, complete with hook and tri-corner hat. While he was Ethel's nephew, he did resemble Frank with bushy brown hair, brown eyes and coke-bottle thick glasses. Else felt Jack squeeze her shoulder, a gentle reminder to behave. "Now let's get a picture! Else and Frankie in front, Jack and Ethel behind!" Shoshanna got out the camera.

Else frowned as she stood next to Frankie. She posed in first position, right by Frankie while Jack and Ethel stood behind them. As she smiled, she felt something tugging on her tutu. "Chicken." Frankie hissed as the picture was taken. She looked at him afterwards. Meanie Frankie pointed to her tutu. Some of the feathers had come loose and that meanie had begun to pull on them. "That's what you look like. A molting chicken."

Else rolled her eyes as Ethel and Jack got the trick o' treat bags and flashlights. If it weren't for her promise to Jack…"Bwak! Bwak! Bwak! Bwak!" Frankie clucked quietly. He had tucked his fists under his armpits, flapping his arms like chicken wings. Else felt her temper souring. She wanted to smack him for making fun of her costume. She and Jack had worked so hard on it together, gluing the feathers to the gossamer tutu, crown and leotard. But she had made a promise. And she was going to honor it. It was the only way she was going to enjoy caramel apples, hot chocolate and Halloween candy tonight.

"Ok, let's go, kiddos!" Ethel said, passing out the little paper bags and flashlights. "We're going to the West End by the synagogue! Most the congregation lives out there, so we should be fine."

"Frankie and Else, stay close to Ethel and me." Jack said as they walked down to the car. "Don't wander off, or else we're going to be very mad."

* * *

"So cute!" Mrs. Wagner said upon opening her front door. She dropped two pieces of butterscotch candies into Else and Frankie's trick o' treat bags. "Happy Halloween!"

"Thank you." Frankie and Else said in unison before stepping off the Wagner's front porch. It was about eight o'clock in the evening. The front porches of the houses were lit, carved jack o' lanterns glowed in windows and on doorsteps. Children were out, dressed in various costumes. Else had seen witches, ghosts, pirates, Frankensteins and werewolves. The parents were right behind, allowing the kids to go up to the house to get their candy and then come back.

Jack and Ethel were at the end of Mr. Wagner's walkway. They were talking with a police officer of average height. Under his cap, Else could see wiry red hair and light green eyes. He had a red face, looking just like Mike Axford.

"Hello, Frankie! It's good to see you again!" The police officer said in a thick accent. It took Else a little bit to figure out what he was saying because he was talking a mile a minute.

"Hello, Mike." Frankie said with a smile.

"You know each other?" Else pointed between Mike and Frankie.

"His old man was my partner. Best man I've ever known. God rest his soul. As I was saying, Mrs. Reid, I've heard of you and your husband from Uncle Mike…"

The connection became clear. "Oh, you mean Mr. Mike Axford?" Else asked.

"That's right, sweetheart. He's my great-uncle technically. He and my grandfather were brothers. Say, you're Else, aren't you?" Officer Mike smiled at her. Else got a little shy and hid behind Jack's skirt.

"She's a little shy, Officer Axford." Jack explained, stroking Else's head.

"Oh, totally understandable Mrs. Reid and, please, call me Mike."

The adults began talking again, paying no attention to the two kids. Else got bored and looked around. She noticed that Frankie was walking to the end of the long street. There was nothing there but overgrown shrubs, the trees were barren but they looked ominous. What was he up to? Maybe she can finally prove that he's up to some mischief after all! Else hurried after Frankie.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Else panted, feeling more feathers fall off her costume. "Auntie Ethel and Jack said we had to stay close to the adults!"

"Hey Chicken, now you're going to be a tattletale?" Frankie asked, taunting.

"I'm no tattletale!" Else was getting angry. "And I'm not a baby either!"

"Ok, you see those bushes there?" Frankie pointed ahead. Else nodded. "They lead to the Old Mallory Home. There's a rumor that a ghost guards his treasure."

"Britt told me that story last night!" Else said proudly. "And he taps the floor with a peg leg! And there's a light in the window! And another ghost supposedly rips up the floorboards!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm Abraham Lincoln. I dare you to help me find the treasure…without getting scared. The first person who screams gives up the treasure. Is that understood? Or are you going to run back to Jack, you big crybaby?" Frankie teased.

How dare he make fun of Britt! That was the final straw! "I am not a crybaby!" Else said, following Frankie into the woods. She wasn't scared! She was going to make him scream before the night was through! If Britt was telling the truth, Mr. Hornet was there. Maybe she could get him to help her.

* * *

It was quite a distance to Old Man Mallory's home. The woods seemed to get closer and closer. Leaves crunched beneath their feet. The only light was coming from the flashlights in their hands. It was indeed getting creepy and she was getting cold. Else shivered, more from cold and excitement than fear. "How much further?" She asked, tucking her hands under her armpits.

"Just over the next hill." Frankie said, not looking back.

"It better be." Else wanted to get this over with, hopefully before the adults noticed they were gone…maybe she could give Jack the jewelry for Christmas! That thought cheered her up until she ploughed into Frankie. He had stopped. "What's wrong?"

"There it is, the Old Mallory House." Frankie said, pointing ahead. Else stepped beside Frankie. She didn't quite know what she was expecting the legendary haunted house to look like. A gothic castle like the ones Papa took her to see in Germany. A rundown mansion. A tumbledown shack. But no. It looked like an ordinary old house. True, the white paint was peeling off. And some of the windows were broken and boarded up. And wind whistled through the eaves. And it was dark…except for a light glowing from the second story window.

"Look!" Else pointed at the window with the light in it. "Do you see that?"

"Oh that? It's a reflection of my flashlight, see?" Frankie moved his light. Sure enough, the light moved away from the window. Else felt a little disappointed. Scaring him was going to be a lot harder than it looked. "Come on; don't tell me you believe in ghosts." He grumbled, walking down the hill toward the creepy house. Else said nothing as she followed Frankie up to the front door. Excitement was bubbling throughout her entire body. She was going to find the treasure and get back at mean old Frankie Parker.

Frankie went up to the weather-beaten front door, Else hot on his heels. He put a hand on the doorknob. Without turning, it opened, creaking slowly. Frankie paused for a moment. Was he getting scared? Else pushed him aside and walked in.

Like Britt told, the house was dank and dark. The wind whistled through cracks in the broken windows and walls. The floorboards creaked as Else and Frank made their way across the floor. Frankie waved his flashlight around; the front room was practically empty, only peeling wallpaper. The small beam of light came upon the staircase.

"I'll check out the downstairs if you take the upstairs." Frankie said. "You've got your flashlight, right?" Else pulled the tube from her trick o' treat bag. "Good. Holler if you find anything. Remember, the first 'fraidy cat who runs out of here screaming gives up the treasure."

"I'll find it." Else said proudly. She remembered Britt's story, the treasure was in the upstairs room where Frankie's flashlight had reflected off the window. She'd find it…_and_ get her revenge on Frankie Parker. Now how was she going to do that?

Else began thinking as she carefully climbed the staircase. The boards creaked and groaned as she slowly made her way upstairs. At least he couldn't sneak up on her from behind without making a racket. The stairs led to a long and narrow hallway that led to a closed door at the end. A light burned through the cracks of the door. Was it? Else's heart began thumping loudly. She tiptoed to the room, slowly opening the door. It creaked loudly as it swung inward. There was nothing in the room except for a candle burning on the windowsill. Who lit the candle?

Never mind, she hadn't heard the tapping of the peg leg. Else remembered the story and began tapping the floor with her feet, listening for any hollow sounds. The time seemed to pass so slowly. Else was beginning to get impatient. Jack and Ethel weren't dumb; they were eventually going to notice that she and Frankie were gone. Oh please let me find it soon so we can get back and I won't get into trouble…Else was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed the hollow sound beneath her feet. Was it? Putting down her trick o' treat bag and flashlight Else knelt down and began pulling around the edges of the floorboards. One finally came loose. Underneath was a small iron box. Was this it? Else picked up the box. Dust got onto her fingers as she put it down and pushed open the lid.

Jewelry flickered by candlelight. Wow! She found the ghost's treasure!

Then Else heard it. The stairs behind her were creaking loudly. Here he comes…the ghost is coming to scare her! No! He wasn't going to get her! She was going to scare him first! She picked up her flashlight and put her trick o' treat bag into the box of treasure. So how was she going to scare him? Her costume wasn't scary…but she had the flashlight. Maybe she could blind him with it. Yes. That's what she'd do.

The little girl kept her back to the door as she heard the footsteps come closer and closer. Best to surprise him, just as Britt and Jack did to each other last night. Her heart pounded with excitement. The ghost was going to be very surprised indeed! Else felt whoever it was get very close to her. Now!

"GET OUT!" Else yelled, turning on the flashlight and whipping around.

"Ah!" The ghost screamed and fell down. That's when she noticed the ghost was wearing a tri-corner hat and carrying a hook…it was Frankie Parker!

Else began laughing. She did it! She got Frankie! Now the treasure was all hers! "Ha! I got you!" Else's sides hurt as Frankie stood up, shaking. "I did! And now the treasure is all mine!"

"There is no treasure, genius." Frankie said, hurt. "That's a dumb old story that's been going around for years…"

"There is too! Look!" Else pointed her flashlight at the space beneath the floor. Frankie's eyes went big as he beheld the cache of treasure.

Then they heard it. Footsteps were coming up the stairs. Somebody was coming…Else moved closer to Frankie, she was really scared now.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh oh...what's going to happen now? Guess you'll have to check out the next chapter...up in five minutes!


	3. The Secret of Mallory House

**A/N:** Ok, before this next chapter starts, I want to share a big thank you to everyone who's read it. This is far more lighter fare than what I usually write...

* * *

The Secret of Mallory House

"Who's there?!" A man's voice said as he came up the stairs. Whoever it was didn't sound very nice…

"Else, hide." Frankie hissed, pushing her into a dark corner. Else watched as a man came in through the front door. He smelled funny, his clothes were dirty and torn. The man's head of wild brown hair and face of whiskers looked like they needed a serious shave. He looked down at Frankie. The little boy looked like he was seeing a ghost. "You…you killed my dad!"

"Well, well, well." The man picked up Frankie by the collar. "So you're the son of the cop who tried to stop me…how about you go join your daddy?" The man took something out of his pocket. It was a gun!

Else had to do something…she turned on her flashlight, shining it in the man's face."Leave him alone you big bully!" She yelled. The man let go of Frankie, cursing. He covered his eyes. Else ran up to him and kicked him in the shins. The mean man collapsed to his knees. Now they had to get out of here! "Frankie, run!" Else yelled, picking up the box of treasure and hurrying out. She followed Frankie as they ran down the stairs.

She had reached the bottom step when something caught her foot. Else tripped, dropping her flashlight and the treasure box. Candy and jewelry spilled everywhere. Oh no! Else tugged on her foot, desperate to get free…

"Else!" Frankie ran back, also dropping his candy bag. Her foot had been caught by a loose floorboard. Frankie pulled on her, trying to get loose. The footsteps were coming closer down the stairs. Frankie gasped and hugged Else. Else wrapped her arms around him, afraid.

The mean man stepped off the stairs, the gun shone in the light of the flashbulb. "You two and me are the only ones that know I'm here…now I'll be the only one who knows…" He raised the gun.

"Yah!" There was a loud yell. Something black flew above Frankie and Elses' heads, making contact with the man's head. **BANG! **The gun went off, nearly blinding Else by the flash. What was that?! The man fell down, stunned, he tried to pick himself up. Another blur came by, aiming something at the man's face. There was a hiss and a green cloud, the man collapsed, asleep.

Else and Frankie looked up at one of the figures as he walked over. There was a familiar green mask, stitched with a white bee in midflight. Mr. Hornet!

"Tie him up." The masked man ordered his driver before kneeling before Else. "Are either of you hurt?" Mr. Hornet asked as he helped free Else's foot.

"No." Else looked up at him in awe. Mr. Hornet… "Thank you."

"Jeez Louise, Else, let's get out of here!" Frankie grabbed Else's arm.

"Why? It's Mr. Hornet! He's nice!"

"Are you nuts?! That's the Green Hornet! He's worse than Jed Cooper!" Frankie panicked, standing up and pulling Else with him.

"What's going on?" The front door flew open. Standing there was Officer Mike. He saw Mr. Hornet. "Green Hornet! Don't you _dare_ hurt those kids!" He ran after Mr. Hornet, his face as red as his hair.

Mr. Hornet fired his gun again. Like before, a green cloud shot out, catching poor Mike off guard. The officer fell down, asleep.

There was the sound of more running outside. "Else?! Else?! Where are you?!"

"Jack!" Else cried as Jack burst inside, Ethel hot on her heels.

"Young man, what were you thinking?!" Ethel hugged Frankie.

"What are you two doing out here?!" Jack grabbed Else's shoulders. "You had us worried sick! Don't you know that you could've been killed?!"

"I'm sorry, Jack." Else began crying, glad that she was safe, but upset because Jack was yelling at her.

Jack's look softened and she hugged Else. "I'm sorry, sweetie. When we saw that you and Frankie were gone, we looked everywhere for you. And when we heard that gunshot…what in the world were you thinking?!"

"It was my fault, Mrs. Reid." Frankie said in a low voice. Everyone turned to Frankie. "Else tried to get me to stop but I dared her to go inside. I wanted to scare her and I'm sorry."

"Frankie…" Ethel said in a low voice.

"Mrs. Scanlon, you still have your smelling salts on you?" Mr. Hornet changed the subject.

"Yes…" Ethel nodded.

"Wake up Officer Axford after we leave. Then call the cops. Jed Cooper will face justice for what he did to your father, Frankie Parker." Mr. Hornet said to Frankie. The boy nodded as the two men left.

* * *

"What a night." Jack said as Ethel stopped in front of the apartment building where the penthouse was located.

"You can say that again." Ethel said. After Mr. Hornet left, Ethel woke up Officer Mike. Officer Mike mumbled something about getting the Hornet if that was the last thing he did. But Jed Cooper was now in jail and the jewelry was going back to its rightful owners. Else was really tired. She wanted to go to bed. It had been a long night.

"Hey Else…?" Frankie said as they walked into the elevator. "You did a good job scaring me." He smiled.

"Thank you." Else said, too tired to gloat. "Too bad we lost our candy though."

"I consider that punishment enough." Jack said as the elevator doors opened. The family walked down to the penthouse door. "I would've taken them away for breaking the rules about leaving us." She mumbled as she opened the penthouse door.

"What's that?" Ethel asked, pointing to the table.

"What…?" Jack asked, looking at the table. Else heard her adoptive mother sigh and mutter something about killing Britt when he got home. It didn't make sense though, Else thought as she saw the two bulging trick o' treat bags sitting on the table.

Pinned to the fronts were two white metal disks. Stamped on them was the image of a white bee in flight.

* * *

**A/N:** So…what do you guys think? I also had a Christmas story in mind with Else, warning though, it would be really fluffy though…would anyone else like to read the Christmas story?

Happy Early Halloween everyone!


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